For awhile my daughter was quite content to play on her adorable little Alex Wooden Cook Top Playstove. It was a great value at about $30 and also took up just a small corner of her room. Glorious! Now she’s dreaming of a bigger, more luxurious environment in which to whip up imaginary cupcakes. Have you invested in a wooden play kitchen? Was it worth the money and space in your home?

Manhattan Toys Automoblox —Audrey has one of these ingenious cars. She likes taking it apart, putting it back together in varying combinations, and racing it around the house. Joy’s son Roscoe also has several of these and LOVES them!(more…)

Today’s Works for Me Wednesday is a themed edition: Toys that are actually worth buying. At first I was going to write something about how kids don’t really need toys to be happy, or how I made Audrey a doll out of a cornhusk, but then I decided to take the topic a bit more seriously. So what do I think is worth buying? A toy kitchen.

At first I resisted buying a play kitchen for my daughter. I didn’t want to clutter up house with plastic, and wooden ones are expensive. I even considered making her one, but that project floundered in the idea stage. I never had a toy kitchen, can’t she live without one?(more…)